The X-Files #2Review

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Scully and the Lone Gunmen investigate a mysterious biological weapon.

By Jesse Schedeen

Talk about having your hopes dashed. The first two issues of Wildstorm's new X-Files mini-series rekindled my long-dormant love for the franchise. After all, they represent the only decent X-Files stories in this entire millennium. I didn't want to believe these comics might go the way of the show, but I'm afraid that could be happening already.

Here's the central problem with issue #2 - it tells me the series is far less ambitious than I hoped. I assumed that a 7-issue mini-series (not counting issue #0) would tell one long, over-arching story. Instead, it appears what we're being given is an assortment of smaller stories. Last issue was an interesting start to what could have been a rousing good arc. Mulder discovered another government conspiracy, this one involving mysterious deaths and a secretive disease. By the end of issue #1, he was showing symptoms of this same disease.

But as becomes apparent early on in issue #2, writer Frank Spotnitz is bringing the tale to an early and unsatisfying conclusion. Compared to any given episode of the show, the pacing is almost frantic. I always enjoyed the slow, methodical way in which Mulder and Scully went about their investigations, yet here they act like they have somewhere else to be. There were several moments I thoroughly enjoyed in this issue, particularly thanks to the involvement of both A.D. Skinner and the Lone Gunmen. But even the memorable moments are over too quickly. By the time Spotnitz actually wraps up the story at the end, I'm left feeling frazzled and not entirely happy with my purchase. This storyline could and should have lasted at least one more issue.

It really doesn't help that Brian Denham's art take a significant dive from the previous two issues. Denham employs photo-referencing to capture the likenesses of the actors, but he managed to do it in such a way that added to the feel of the series rather than detracting from it. Unfortunately, his art just seems rushed this month. The detail isn't quite there, and the the tightly-constructed lines are loose and unfocused. To my eye, more time is all this issue needed to appear on par with the last one. More time all around would have done wonders for this story. So far, the comic is the first quality, authentic X-Files experience I've had in years. But if every story is going to end so abruptly, I worry that won't be enough to keep me coming back.